


Axes are Useful

by HSavinien



Series: Nonfiction: Medieval Weapon Rants and Bullet-pointed Infodumps [4]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms
Genre: Battle, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Gen, Nonfiction, Originally Posted on Tumblr, War, axes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2019-09-13 11:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16891815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HSavinien/pseuds/HSavinien
Summary: By request, basic info on various kinds of axes and their uses.





	Axes are Useful

**Author's Note:**

> nobodycallsmerichard said:  
> So everyone says swords and archery, but my favorites to use are axes. Your opinion on them?

 

  * Axes, like swords, come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes (all the way from bitty little throwing axes up to great whomping polearms with axeheads), so the use of them obviously varies.
  * They are characterized solely by the wedge-shaped blade attached to the side of the shaft (usually wood, but metal or non-wood local fibers may be used), with a single, often curved edge. These blades have been made from everything from stone ([esp. flint, obsidian, and other kinds of rock that easily chip down to a sharp edge](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fanthromuseum.missouri.edu%2Fminigalleries%2Fhandaxes%2Fintro.shtml&t=M2FiYWFlYjYwNzM4NDAwYjYxNzRiNDIwMWU3MWU1ZDYzZmE4YzYzYSxkaVZxNnlLbw%3D%3D&b=t%3AAbM2GQelIABrceH_cxJ4Yw&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhsavinien.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F113084068374%2Faxes-are-useful&m=0)) to bone to metal.
  * Axes are old, folks, humans didn’t invent them.   _Homo erectus_ , ancestors of _Homo sapiens_ , were using them over [900,000 years ago in Europe and more than 1.7 million years ago in Africa](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fjournals.plos.org%2Fplosone%2Farticle%3Fid%3D10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0103436&t=NDMzNDYwZjQ0ZWQxZTBjOTY3ZDYzMzM0ODM5NGE5OGE2Yzg3NjFmYSxkaVZxNnlLbw%3D%3D&b=t%3AAbM2GQelIABrceH_cxJ4Yw&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhsavinien.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F113084068374%2Faxes-are-useful&m=0).  This is seriously the next step along from “pick up a big stick and hit someone in the head with it”, but they’re still effective weapons. 
  * One of the main things about axes, though, is that they – unlike swords and bows and polearms and all that I’ve talked about before – are not and have never been mainly meant for killing things.  They’re tools.  They are tools that serve a wide variety of uses.  Now sure, the war-axe specially designed for splitting open armor is not so useful for farming and probably fair useless when it comes to wood cutting, but those are far fewer than the ones meant to be multipurpose (with the possible exception of any realm featuring that kind of fantasy dwarf society with intense cultural ax associations).
  * But a tool can and often would be a weapon, if that was what you had available to you. Remember what I said re: falchions and the handy meat cleaver?  A weapon is often the nearest thing you’ve got with a sharp edge or a heavy end with which to clonk your enemy.  
  * Smaller axes were a (financially) poorer warrior’s option – they take less metal and are thus cheaper.  Any ax specifically meant as a weapon is going to be lighter than your typical wood-splitting ax.  Just like with swords, heavier is not a plus.
  * There have been a few double-headed axes, mainly used for lumber, but a few meant for war.  Most are single-headed, though.
  * Axes have a few handy features that swords do not.  The typical medieval war ax had a hooked curve on the bottom of the blade that’s very useful for catching your opponent’s shield, leg, or other body part and yanking them off-balance or opening up their guard.  A defensive block in front of the face that would stop a straight sword blade has to go another 4-6 inches higher or farther out to stop them getting a faceful of steel ax-blade. 
  * Axes often also had a sharp tip on the top point of the blade as well that works quite well for stabbing, especially since the wedge-shaped blade leaves a wider, rougher cut – very nasty.
  * Depending on the size, axes could be used in one or both hands.  If only using one, the other hand might carry another blade or a shield.  Longer ax hafts could be used defensively, like a staff, and were thus sometimes wrapped in iron bands to strengthen them and prevent them from shattering under a solid blow.  Even long-hafted axes could be used in conjunction with a shield, though, if the Bayeux tapestry is anything to go by.
  * Littler axes could be thrown, which gives the person on the receiving end a nasty surprise to the tune of “a couple inches of metal are now embedded in your body part, hope you didn’t want to still use that.”



Here’s a [write-up on Norse (“Viking”) axes](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hurstwic.org%2Fhistory%2Farticles%2Fmanufacturing%2Ftext%2Fviking_axe.htm&t=MDc4YzkyMmVlOTA2OWRjYjQzM2JjZTFlODU4YTA4MDhiNzlmYTcwNyxkaVZxNnlLbw%3D%3D&b=t%3AAbM2GQelIABrceH_cxJ4Yw&p=http%3A%2F%2Fhsavinien.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F113084068374%2Faxes-are-useful&m=0) from the Hurstwic re-enactors.  Lots of good pictures of historical finds and modern recreations.

Thanks to my SO for reminders and beta on this as the ax-wielder of the two of us.


End file.
